"Pay? Pay for what? Didn't that kid say it was a gift?"
Dugu Bo looked thoroughly displeased when he heard that.
Why pay for something he could get for free?
"Are you paying or not? If not, don't talk to me for the rest of this month."
She played her trump card right away, and Dugu Bo folded on the spot.
"Fine, I'll pay. Happy now?"
Helpless, Dugu Bo turned to Mo Lin beside him and asked coldly.
"How much?"
"One million."
Mo Lin's answer left Dugu Bo completely stunned.
"How much did you say?!"
As though suspecting he had misheard, Dugu Bo asked again.
"One million Gold Soul Coins. A fair price for young and old alike."
Of course, that figure was definitely inflated.
Judged by Soul Tool craftsmanship standards, this Cultivation Array Disk was a Level 4 Soul Tool at best. Ten thousand years later, one million could buy a whole pile of them.
Now, it could buy an even bigger pile. After all, hardly anyone knew their worth.
But rarity made things precious. In this era, having a complete Soul Tool was already impressive, let alone one directly connected to cultivation.
Asking one million was no great problem.
"You brat, are you trying to fleece me?"
Veins bulged on Dugu Bo's forehead. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to beat Mo Lin up.
In all his years, this was the first time he had seen anyone dare fleece him to his face.
"If that really won't work, you can exchange something for it instead."
Seeing that the other man was about to explode, Mo Lin continued unhurriedly.
At those words, Dugu Bo's expression changed slightly.
"I've heard you have a medicinal garden, Senior Dugu, filled with countless rare medicinal herbs."
"My mother-in-law hasn't been feeling well lately, so I've been hoping to bring back some rare medicinal herbs. Unfortunately, my means are limited, and I haven't managed it."
Laziness was an illness too, wasn't it? Saying she was unwell didn't really count as deceiving him.
"If you're willing to help, Senior Dugu, I won't charge a single coin."
Money was something he didn't lack. After all, some things couldn't be bought with money.
Aunt Ye isn't well? How come I didn't know?
Dugu Yan wondered to herself. She hadn't heard Ye Lingling mention it either.
But it really had been quite a while since she had last seen her. Could it be...!
"Just tell us what herbs you need."
Before Dugu Bo could speak, Dugu Yan agreed outright.
That instantly took all the temper out of Dugu Bo beside her.
This granddaughter of his... ah, forget it. She was his own flesh and blood. What else could he do but spoil her?
"I read about a flower in an ancient book. Its roots, stem, and leaves trail down like vines, while a single blossom sits at the top, golden yellow in color..."
Mo Lin described the Aromatic Silk Beauty.
But to maintain an air of mystery, he only revealed half of what he knew.
Judging by Dugu Bo's expression, though, he probably knew what Mo Lin was talking about.
"My medicinal garden does indeed have what you're describing. However..."
Dugu Bo paused, his gaze sharpening.
"How did you learn about my medicinal garden?"
He had never revealed this to outsiders. Where had the other party gotten that information?
At that, Mo Lin calmly raised a hand and pointed at Dugu Yan.
"I happened to overhear Miss Dugu Yan chatting with Lingling."
"..."
Dugu Bo glanced back at his granddaughter. She lowered her head slightly, looking rather like a thief with a guilty conscience.
At the sight, Dugu Bo was speechless.
Was this a case of guarding against thieves day and night, only to find the thief was under his own roof? Why did this girl tell outsiders everything?
But honestly, even if she told people, it wouldn't do much good.
After all, who would dare ask him for anything, aside from this brat in front of him?
"Fine, I'll give it to you, but on one condition. I want to see that ancient book you mentioned."
Dugu Bo was a shrewd man. Naturally, he wanted to test the truth of the other party's words.
Of course, if the book really existed, that would be even better. After all, there were plenty of herbs in the garden that he didn't recognize.
He had been keeping watch over that place for quite some time, but there were many herbs he truly didn't dare touch carelessly. One mistake really could cost him his life.
"Sure. I'll get it for you once I go back."
Mo Lin had long expected Dugu Bo to do this and had prepared accordingly.
It was only an ancient book. He had plenty of those, most of them sent over by Qian Renxue.
As it happened, one of them contained records on this subject.
Still, ancient books couldn't be trusted completely. After all, Immortal Herbs weren't something just anyone could encounter, nor did just anyone dare eat them casually.
Even if someone ate one, whether they would survive was still unknown.
Many Immortal Herbs were actually poisonous. Eating them recklessly could very well cause instant death.
As the saying went, the right time, the right place, and the right people were all indispensable-except for cheat-ridden freaks like Tang San.
Of course, a cheat-ridden freak like himself was an exception too.
"Senior Dugu, I won't take advantage of you either. Here are one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. Please consider it my first-meeting gift to you."
He took a special card used to store Gold Soul Coins from his pocket, issued by a bank in the Heaven Dou Empire.
Similar to the bank cards from his previous life, it could hold a certain amount of Gold Soul Coins.
After all, what normal person casually carried one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins around for no reason?
Oh, this kid knows how things work.
Looking at the Gold Soul Coin Card Mo Lin offered, Dugu Bo's expression relaxed.
Just as he reached out to take it, another hand beat him to it.
"Well, aren't you loaded! You're actually hiding money from Lingling, and this much of it, too!"
Dugu Yan's voice rang out, brimming with righteous indignation, yet her hand honestly tucked the card into her own pocket.
That was one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins! In all her life, she had never handled that much money.
"You're joking, Miss Dugu Yan. I earned this through my own work, and things between Lingling and me haven't been settled yet. How could it count as a secret stash?"
"Besides, in my situation, I'd be marrying into her family, wouldn't I? By that logic, I should be handling the money, so there's even less basis for this secret stash you speak of."
Those few well-reasoned words left Dugu Yan speechless.
"That... that still won't do. Men go bad when they have money. You..."
Seeming to realize she didn't have a leg to stand on, Dugu Yan began stumbling over her words, her face reddening slightly.
"You're right, Miss Dugu Yan. I'll hand over the money as soon as I get home."
Not intending to tease her any further, Mo Lin simply gave her a way to step down.
In his eyes, Dugu Yan was actually quite amusing, just a little too hotheaded.
"Hmph. Since you know what's good for you, I won't make things difficult."
Compared with before, Mo Lin could clearly feel that her attitude had improved considerably.
Sure enough, money could make even ghosts turn the millstone. The ancients hadn't lied to him.
"Then I'm sorry to trouble you with what comes next, Senior Dugu. I won't disturb you any longer."
There should still be enough time. If he hurried back now, he might still catch the last ride.
"What's the rush? Stay for a meal."
Dugu Bo grabbed Mo Lin as he was about to leave. For some reason, he suddenly found this kid rather pleasing to the eye.
It had been a long time since he had met a young man he found so agreeable. How could he not get to know him properly?
It was a pity that the boy's talent wasn't very good, and someone else's family had already laid claim to him. Otherwise, he would definitely have snatched him up.
The corners of Mo Lin's mouth twitched. He looked toward Dugu Yan beside them, hoping she would help persuade him.
But Dugu Yan was staring at the Gold Soul Coin Card in her hand, grinning foolishly away, and wasn't paying any attention to them at all.
"Fuck!"
"Just you wait, Dugu Bo. I'm not letting this slide!"
Before you continue